Portland Wharf Park:
"Linking Our Heritage To Our Future"

At the turn of the 19th century, Portland Wharf served those who had few safe alternatives except to portage their goods around the base of the falls located on the Ohio River. By the mid 19th century, the addition of the Portland-Louisville canal, containing one of the nation’s first three tiered river locks, linked the Portland Wharf to above the falls at Louisville. The canal instantly reduced the time and effort required to get around the falls thereby improving the volume of river traffic. As a result, the Wharf area expanded rapidly into a bustling riverside town complete with multi-story hotels, homes, and related businesses serving maritime commerce. 

Today, Metro Parks serves to protect and share this rich maritime past of Portland Wharf Park through the support of partners in the Portland community. Plans for sharing important resources include interpretive exhibits and educational opportunities within and outside the park boundaries. Archaeological and Interpretive work is conducted in cooperation with the Portland Museum, the University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Archaeological Survey.

Learn more how the events at Portland Wharf Park have shaped the Portland Community and Louisville. Come share in maritime history at Portland Museum!

Contact Benjamin Baggett, Project Manager

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WHITE HOUSE RECOGNIZES PORTLAND
First Lady Laura Bush, through a White House initiative, awards Preserve America grant to Nathalie Andrews, Portland Museum Executive Director, and recognizes Portland as a Preserve America community. Portland Museum works in conjunction with Metro Parks to implement the Preserve America Grant to interpret the Portland Wharf Park.  Contact Portland Museum or Metro Parks to learn more about the development of this valuable historic resource.

“Louisville’s historic Portland neighborhood developed along the falls of the Ohio River to help commerce and travelers heading both east and west.  This great neighborhood is not only one of our first Preserve America Community Neighborhoods; it will also receive one of our first Preserve America Grants.”    —Laura Bush March 30, 2006  

Project funding provided by Preserve America, a White House initiative, in cooperation with US Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and partnership with US Department of the Interior.